7 Days
by GenkiIchigo
Summary: Every 17 years, for 7 days, each member of the jyuunishi, must go through a transformation. Not a very good summary () Eventual YxK shounen aiyaoi. Rating will probably change. Kyo's POV, maybe a little AUish... Ch 5 Uploaded
1. Prologue

Authors Notes: Yes, yet another crazy idea by me. Only this time, it's Fruits Basket! Yayyy! Anyway, I know that I haven't done anything on any of my other stories in quite a while. Just consider them on hold for a while. Yes, I am going to finish them. I just like to take my dear, sweet time with these things, as annoying as it may be ^_^() Anyway, enjoy! Review if you have time. I really appreciate your comments.  
  
Disclaimer: As much as I wish that I did, I don't own Fruits Basket.  
  
Chapter Rating: PG.  
  
Warnings: None really for this chapter. For the overall story though, there will be Shounen-ai. It might even go as far as to become Yaoi. KyoxYuki btw. If you don't like it, just don't read it ^_^  
  
************* Seven Days.  
  
By: Genki Ichigo  
  
Chapter One  
  
*************  
  
You know those days that just seem to be perfect? Those days where nothing seems like it could go wrong, nothing seems like it could put you in a bad mood? One of those days that seems almost too perfect?  
  
This was one of those days. One of those days that seemed to have been pulled from the pages of some fairy tale, or sappy shoujo manga. Not too hot, not too cold, the sun hanging high in the sparkling cloudless sky, the sound of the birds singing gently carried on the soft breeze. A day when any cat in it's right mind would be curled up on a rooftop, enjoying a nap or a little bit of bird watching.  
  
In fact, that was exactly what I was doing. Laying on the roof, soaking in the sun in all of it's glory. Enjoying the unbelievably perfect day. Little did I know, that within the next couple of hours, the day would go horribly, horribly wrong. I know it sounds cliche, the whole perfect day gone wrong concept. But that's how it was. Exactly.  
  
Anyway, the point is, that I finally finished my nap on the roof. I must have been up there for around four hours or so, because when I finally opened my eyes, the sun had begun to set. Knowing that Tohru had probably already started dinner, and that I should probaby be going in to get ready for it, I sat up. That was when I first noticed that something was wrong. I couldn't place what it was at first, but then, I stood up, and realized that I was a lot lower to the ground than I should have been. Once again, I couldn't figure out what was going on. Until I looked down and saw them... Orange paws. Looking off to the side, I noticed that my clothes were lying next to me.  
  
I don't know if you can imagine my panic or not, at having transformed into a cat without a reason. So let's just say that I was more than a little freaked out. At first, I thought that maybe, just maybe someone had decided to play a joke on me. But after thinking of possible suspects, only Tohru came to mind, and it wouldn't have been like her to do something like this. Would it? It didn't matter anyway right? I'd be fine if I just waited until I changed back, right? Wrong. I must have waited on the roof for an hour, with no result.  
  
After that, getting into the house is kind of blurry. I just remember grabbing my clothes and running for the window that I usually use to get onto the top of the house. After I got downstairs is a little clearer though. I ran into the bathroom as fast as I could to look into the mirror, you know, to make sure that I wasn't just imagining everything. I wasn't. As quickly as I had entered the bathroom, I left it, in search of Shigure. If anyone would have a clue as to what was going on, he would.  
  
After what seemed like forever, I finally found him. Of course he was in his office, slacking off as usual. Not that I was worried about his slacking off at the time though. After a few minutes of trying to get his attention, I finally jumped onto his desk. Unfortunately, he had been painting again, and I landed right in the middle of a picture of... I don't even want to describe what that sick bastard had been working on. Even now, it's too disturbing.  
  
"Oh my, Kyo-kun. What brings you here?" Shigure finally stated nonchalantly, acting as if he hadn't even noticed that I'd ruined his God awful, nasty art project. As if he couldn't see what my problem was.  
  
"Are you BLIND?" I spat back, waving one of my hands, oh, excuse me, paws over the front of myself.  
  
"Ah, I see. So you've tried to hug Tohru-kun again, eh? Or did she try to hug you this time. Really, and you call me a pervert." Shigure winked at me.  
  
"Damn it you idiot! Give me a chance to talk so I can tell you what's going on already!"  
  
"Alright, but you might want to get down from there, I wouldn't want you changing back on my desk. Much less in the middle of that painting. Why if someone walked in, they might think that I was a pervert or something."  
  
"That's the problem!" I shouted, though it came out higher than I'd meant it to. Stupid cat vocal chords.  
  
"What's the problem?" Shigure smiled. Not a normal, happy smile though. A dumb smile. One of those smiles that just makes you want to lunge forward and strangle the person giving it to you while screaming 'did you just hear a word that I said?'.  
  
"I can't change back you stupid mutt! I tried that already." I don't know quite how you 'try' to change back into a person, but I figured that if anyone had 'tried', it would have been me. How Shigure could be so calm and collected about the fact that I was trapped in cat form, was beyond me. But he was.  
  
"I see." Shigure said after a moment of silence, reaching into his desk drawer to pull out something that appeared to be a calendar. He flipped through it slowly, obviously having forgotten that I was there... Or just plain ignoring me. I'd like to think that it was the latter, but then maybe I'm giving him too much credit. He finally finished what he was doing with the calendar, an set it down onto the desktop. "Yes, I suppose it is about that time now, isn't it?"  
  
I wasn't sure if I was supposed to agree at this point or what, but suddenly, Shigure was really pissing me off. "Damn it! Can't you do anything like a normal person? What time is it!?"  
  
Shigure, being the smart ass that he is of course, glanced at his watch. "Why, it's five-thirty, Kyo-kun. Just about time for dinner, don't you think?"  
  
"I don't mean that you moron! The calendar! What the hell was that!? Stop messing around!" I hadn't realized that I'd gotten so mad until I felt my fur standing on end, and realized that somewhere along the way I'd stood up and arched my back. Damn my temper. I can only imagine what I looked like.  
  
"Oh that. Nothing really." Shigure leaned back in his chair, his hands going to rest behind his head. "Nothing to be worried about. You're supposed to do this, every seventeen years, for one week." He let out a loud laugh that sounded mysteriously like Ayame's.  
  
This? This being my transforming into a cat, right? Obviously. I still could have heard him wrong though. Right?  
  
"You don't mean I'm gonna be stuck like this?"  
  
"For an entire week. Right. I can't believe that I forgot."  
  
He'd forgotten? How could he forget something so important? ow could he not even warn me before now? Every seventeen years, huh? After thinking about it for a moment, a question popped into my mind.  
  
"Hey!? The k'so nezumi's seventeen too! So how come he hasn't changed?" I wondered if maybe this problem was cat-specific. My question was answered however, when the door to the office flew open, and a very panicked Tohru ran in cradling a grey mouse in her hands.  
  
This was going to be one hell of a week.  
  
***********  
  
To Be Continued... 


	2. Chapter 1

AN: Alright! Chapter two here. I hope you enjoy it. I hope it meets your expectations! (Do you have expectations for me to meet in the first place?) Anyway, as always, I greatly appreciate your comments! Thankyou so much for all of the reviews! You guys are the best!  
  
Warnings: No warnings yet... Well, maybe a warning for Kyo-mouth...but you already knew that ^_^()  
  
Chapter Rating: PG-PG13  
  
********** 7 Days  
  
By: Genki Ichigo  
  
Chapter 2 **********  
  
It wasn't until later, that I found out that Shigure had done us a favor by forgetting that it was time for us to transform. Whether he honestly forgot, or whether he was was merely pretending like he had, to cover his own ass, I guess I'll never know. Shigure was funny that way. But I owe a lot to him. I wish that I could have had the chance to thank him. No... I wish that I had thanked him while I had the chance. I didn't of course. Things are never that simple.  
  
Despite everything though, it still remains the biggest favor that I have ever recieved. If he hadn't forgotten, Yuki and I would have been placed under Akito's care for the duration of our transformation. I can't imagine what things might have happened in that situation. I'll always be curious, afterall, it is my nature. However, I am grateful that things didn't happen that way.  
  
It had been two days since the unexpected transformation, and the weather was just as perfect as it had been on the first day. Clean, crisp air, lightly tinged with the scent of early spring. Once again, I was laying on the roof, the sun warming my body. I could never get enough of the sun it seemed. No matter how hot it was, I could always stand to lay in it. I guess that's all part of being a cat.  
  
"Kyo-kun...Kyo-kun?" A soft voice called, some part of my sleep filled mind telling me that it was trying to wake me up, another part telling me to ignore it and continue to sleep. In the end, the part telling me to wake up won, and I cracked my eyes open, instantly closing them again when they were flooded with the blinding light of the sun. I shook my head, once more opening my eyes. This time, the light didn't hurt them so badly. "Kyo-kun...I'm so sorry that I had to wake you up, but Shigure-san..." The voice trailed off. I looked over, registering that 'the voice' was actually Tohru, who had come up to the roof to awaken me.  
  
"What are you doing up here?" I asked, a little bit harsher than I had meant to. Did I mention that cats hate being awakened in the middle of a nap?  
  
"A-ah, I'm sorry. Shigure wanted me to come get you. He needs to see you."  
  
"Oh..." That was all I could manage. I was already feeling terrible about my transformation, and to make things even worse, I had just been rude to Tohru. I watched as she stood up, a small frown, that would have been adorable under the right circumstances, on her face. "I--I'm sorry." I finally said, the guilt at having yelled at her finally forcing me to apologize. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."  
  
"Kyo-kun, it's alright. You're under a lot of stress right now." Suddenly, I found myself swept up into a pair of arms and pressed gently against a warm chest. Normally, I would have protested such an action from her, and had I not been so comfortable there, I probably would have. Instead, I found myself trying to get closer to her, laying my head against her shoulder. "Don't worry. Everything will be alright."  
  
"Thankyou..." I said softly, though I'm not sure why. Maybe I was thanking her for being so kind, so understanding. Maybe I was thanking her for loving me. Maybe I was simply thanking her for being who she was. I guess that it doesn't really matter why I did it. It just matters that I did, and that she knew that I appreciated her. Atleast I hope that she knew, and that she still knows, just how much she actually did for me, and how much I love her for that.  
  
It had only been a few moments, when I found myself being set into a chair in Shigure's office, the warmth that I had found in Tohru's arms slowly leaving me. A glance around the room revealed that Yuki was also there, glaring at me from across the small space. Well, glaring as much as a mouse can glare anyway. It was actually sort of amusing, his little eyes narrowed at me. It was actually cuter than it was threatening. I know it might be funny, to hear me saying the words 'Yuki' and 'cute' in the same sentence, but a lot of things have changed since then.  
  
I don't know why it took Shigure so long to get there. I don't even know exactly how long it was, but finally he walked through the door, his usual, dopey smile missing from his face. I would have noticed that something was wrong with him the moment that he walked in, had I not been mentally wrestling with the nezumi from across the room. I actually think it took him loudly clearing his throat a few times before I noticed that he was there.  
  
"I just got off of the phone..." He said softly, raising one hand to place a thumb and index finger on his chin. "I was talking to Akito."  
  
I saw Yuki wince at the mention of the name. I knew exactly how he was feeling, as I looked down and noticed that my fur was standing on end. I've never heard any other name or word that could have such an effect on me. I'm sure that you would understand, if you had ever met Akito. He might have looked frail and small, but he had the ability to do the most horrifying things. He had the ability to instill fear in even the strongest of hearts. Not saying that my heart was the strongest, but I like to believe that I was pretty tough.  
  
"And?" I snapped, unintentionally standing up and arching my back. I really hate being a cat in situations like that.  
  
"Now now Kyo-kun, no need to be so pushy." He said back, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Akito is rather, how shall I put this... Ah yes, upset, that I forgot about your transformations. He has ordered me to bring you to him as soon as I can find the time, which in Akito's language, as you well know, means now-"  
  
"What the hell!? I'm NOT going over there, not matter what! I'd rather die or something!" I yelled, a rather loud hiss punctuating my statement.  
  
"Wait a moment, you're jumping to conclusions. I got him to agree to tomorrow, so you have tonight to get ready." He sounded almost as if he were trying to tell us something, but I wasn't sure what. And then it hit me. He was trying to give us a chance to escape. He must have gone through the same thing...  
  
"Shigure....did you have to go through this too? Did you have to go to--"  
  
"We don't need to talk about that right now." I hadn't noticed, but Yuki had somehow managed to leave the room while Shigure and I were arguing. Atleast I think he left. I can't remember him being there after that point, or saying anything important. Come to think of it, he didn't really say anything at all that day in Shigure's office. Even though he was normally quiet, even that, was strange for him.  
  
"I'm out of here!" I finally spat, despite Shigure's numerous, loud protests. In a flash, thanks to my cat speed, (did I mention that some aspects of being a cat are downright great) I was in my room, standing up on my hind legs to slide the door shut. Finally accomplishing that (monumental) task, I turned, leaping onto my bedroll and curling up on one of the pillows. If I couldn't get any peace anywhere else, that would just have to do.  
  
I must have lay there for quite a while, because I was pulled out of my thoughts by a soft knocking on the door. Luckily, I had already made up my mind about what I was going to do before the knocking, or else I would have been extremely angry at whoever was at the door. "Come in." I finally said, wondering who it could be. I figured that it was probably Shigure, making sure that I was still in the house, or even Tohru, coming to check on me. Imagine my surprise at finding out that it was neither of them.  
  
"I can't open it..." Came the soft, effeminate voice that identified the caller as Yuki. "I'm not strong enough in this form." I almost laughed. Imagine Yuki, Prince Yuki no less, admitting to not being strong enough for something! Even though it was a simple thing, I walked over to the door, nudging it open with my nose. It was heavy, even for me, but I tried not to show it.  
  
"Now can you make it in, k'so nezumi?" I said, my voice angry. For some reason Yuki had always had that effect on me. All he had to do was walk into the room, and my mood would spiral southward at a million miles per hour. "What do you want anyway? I was trying to think before you interrupted me!" I stalked back over to my bedroll, finding the same pillow as before and sitting down upon it. My gaze locked on Yuki, nothing more than a small ball of fur in his current state. He looked like he was thinking. This was bad.  
  
"We can't go to the main house." He finally said. It always amazed me how he could turn such an obvious statement into something that sounded like it should surprise me.  
  
"I know." I replied, actually managing to keep my voice at a normal level. For that, I was, and still am extremely proud of myself. Where I could have shouted 'duh' or 'I know that you idiot' I simply said, 'I know'. "What are we supposed to do then?" Somehow, before I even finished the question, I knew what his answer would be.  
  
"We have to leave. Atleast for the rest of this week. I think that Shigure was trying to give us an out, so that we could escape."  
  
"Why would he do that?" I asked, noting that my tail was swishing back and forth. I tried to still it, but as you may know, a cat doesn't have much control over what that particular part of it's body does. I watched, silently analyzing the little grey mouse as he thought for a moment, his eyes clouding over with some foreign emotion. I realize now that the emotion that I was seeing was fear, however, I wasn't very familiar with seeing a fearful Yuki, so at the time, I couldn't recognize it.  
  
"Because..." He started, pausing as if to search for the right words. "He's been here before. Where we are. He's been through this, everything with Akito. I don't know what happened there, at the main house, but it wasn't pleasant, and that is why he is trying to help us. Atleast I think he's trying to help us. He might just be acting his normal, ditzy self, however, I get the feeling that he is not."  
  
I nodded my head, realizing afterward that it must have looked a little bit funny, as Yuki was smiling his little mouse smile at me. Come to think of it, it must have looked extremely funny to have been able to wrench a smile from the normally stoic Yuki. "I think I get what you're trying to say." I said, trying not to let his smile annoy me. "Where are we supposed to go though? It's not like there's anywhere that Akito won't be able to find us that we know of...unless..." I shook my head, his smile widened. "Will you stop smiling?" So much for controlling my annoyance.  
  
"Excuse me for living." He replied, the smile disappearing from his face. "Unless what?"  
  
It took a moment for me to register what he was referring to, but then it hit me. "Oh, I was just thinking of Shishou's dojo in the mountains, but I don't want to bother him. I don't think he'd be happy about the idea of taking in two fugitives anyway. Even if one of them IS me."This time it was my turn to crack a smile as he nodded his head. It was rather funny seeing an animal imitate a human motion. I really shouldn't have been smiling, but despite all that was happening, I think it was keeping me sane to do so. Funny, how little things like that can make all the difference.  
  
"Maybe we should try it anyway. I can't really see either of us successfully spending the next four and a half days on the street. I don't think we'd do well outside either. We can't exactly defend ourselves against anything in these forms."  
  
I considered it for a moment, weighing my options. On one hand, we could stay on the street, avoid being an annoyance to Shishou. On the other hand, we had Shishou's dojo, where we would be safe and warm, not to mention, we would also have food and supplies. In the end, it really wasn't such a hard decision. "Shishou's dojo then." I said. "But how are we going to get there?" There was that word again. 'We'. Since when had Yuki and I ever made the word 'we'? Never before than, that I can remember anyway. Hard times have a way of bringing people, or in our case, animals together. Even if they are complete and total opposites.  
  
"When do you want to leave?" Yuki's soft voice broke into my thoughts.  
  
"As soon as possible. It's not like we can pack anything, so about now looks good." I said. "But don't expect me to try to get along with you." I added. It was hard for me to believe that we were even together in the same room, let alone getting along and talking about running away together... "And if you piss me off, I *will* leave you!" I added as an afterthought. He needed to know his place in all of this.  
  
"I understand." He said. I swore that I could see a small smirk on his face. Should we tell Honda-san that we're going?" He asked. I hadn't really thought about that. I think that I would have felt bad though, knowing that we'd run away, leaving Tohru to worry.  
  
"I'll tell her." I said. The truth is, that I still felt bad for getting angry with her earlier that day, and I wanted to add an extra apology to my goodbye. I may not look like I'd let something so small get to me, but inside, things like that nag at me until I feel as if I'll go insane.  
  
"Alright. I'll be here when you get back." Yuki said, the tone of his voice assurring me that he was indeed going to be there. I stood up, stretching before I headed out the door, my tail still swishing back and forth behind me...  
  
*********** TBC!  
  
AN: Okay okay, so there wasn't much action in this chapter! Expect a little bit more in the next... Was that too rushed though? For some reason it felt like something was missing... Oh well *Shrugs* I can't figure out what it is lol. 


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Alright! Here's chapter three! Hope you enjoy it! Thankyou to all who have reviewed so far!!! I really appreciate it! Also, thanks to Foxy and Kouji for all of their inspiration!  
  
Disclaimer: I wish...  
  
Warnings: No real warnings for this chapter...the beginnings of Shounen-ai I guess...some Kyo-mouth ^_^  
  
Chapter Rating: PG-13  
  
********** 7 Days  
  
By: Genki Ichigo  
  
**********  
  
Saying goodbye to Tohru that night, was, and still remains one of the most difficult experiences of my life. At first, it seems like such a small thing, but, we had come to rely on each other so much, that even being apart for a few days was hard. Somehow, though, I managed to do it, and made my way back up to my room to get Yuki. Of course he was still there, waiting for me. I could almost feel the heaviness of his heart as soon as I entered the room.  
  
"You ready?" I asked, wanting to keep our conversation to a minimum, so that we didn't find something to argue about. At that point in time, that would have been the last thing that I would have needed.  
  
"I think so." He said softly. I could barely hear him, the only reason that I heard him at all half of the time anyway was because I had cat's ears. To say that what I said next had a begrudged tone to it, would be an understatement.  
  
"Then...It might be best if I carried you." I spat out quickly, not happy in the least, but fully realizing that he would have to be carried if he were even to have a chance of keeping up with me.  
  
"What are you talking about?" He asked, his voice conveying a level of shock that I didn't know was humanly possible. Or rodently possible...if you can call 'rodently' a word... Even if you could, it probably has a different meaning anyway....  
  
"Listen, k'so nezumi, I don't like this. I don't like it at all. But if you're going to keep up with me, you're going to have to do this. I'm not gonna wait for you, so either get on or stay here and see what Akito has to offer you." I could feel myself glaring at him. I could already see that this wasn't going to be easy at all.  
  
It seemed for a moment, as if he were considering my offer. "Fine." He finally said, his voice low. I'm fairly sure that it may have been threatening, had he not been a mouse at the moment. I lowered myself to the ground. Not to make it easier for him you see, but so that he wouldn't have to pull my hair to get onto my back. I don't know if you've noticed, but cats are very sensitive to any sort of physical touch, which is why even the slightest tug on their hair, if done in the correct manner, may hurt them.  
  
Shortly after, I felt him scurry up onto my back and settle down a little bit below my shoulderblades. "Are you ready?" I asked. I'm sure that my voice was tense. No, more than sure. I'm positive.  
  
"Yes." That was all the confirmation that I needed, and I was glad that it was, as I am sure that he wouldn't have said anything more if I had asked him to. He was just as upset with the way things had turned out as I was. Atleast I think that he was. I can't be completely sure afterall.  
  
"We're not going out the front. Shigure will have to stop us if he catches us. We're going through the window. If you don't wanna fall off, then you better hold on." If he didn't listen, and he fell off anyway, that would be his problem. It wasn't as if I cared anyway. Well, maybe I did, a little bit. I was letting him come along with me instead of forcing him to find his own way away from Akito.  
  
It wasn't long, before we found our way out onto the roof and down to the ground. Luckily, Yuki had listened to me, and by the time we were speeding through the woods, he had established quite a grip. I was fairly certain that he wouldn't be falling off anytime soon. Where we were going to go for the night however, was the burning question in my mind at that moment. I couldn't think of anyplace nearby. I decided that going directly to Shishou's would be our best bet.  
  
I hadn't counted on having to cross the city to get there. As we came out of the woods near the house, and my feet hit the hard concrete of the sidewalk, the full reality of what we were doing suddenly hit me. We were alone. A cat and a mouse in a city full of people. Cruel, heartless people at that. I'd seen what had happened to strays in this city. I only hoped that we could make it through before anyone noticed us.  
  
"What's wrong?" I heard suddenly. I'd almost forgotten that Yuki was with me. If it hadn't been for that constant tugging on my hair, I could have forgotten completely.  
  
"Nothing. We need to get through the city before morning." Easier said than done. I was already getting a bit drowsy. It had been a long day, plus, I tend to sleep longer in my other form. I guess that it comes naturally to a cat to sleep so much. Steeling myself against the feelings and the fatigue, I began forward again, finding my way to a dark alleyway. I knew that it wasn't the best idea to be in a place like that, but travelling the main roads would have been too much of a hazard. Not that the cities alleys were any safer, but atleast we wouldn't be in danger of being run over or trampled... In fact, at that point, all we had to worry about was....  
  
That was when I first spotted them. Glowing, yellow eyes not too far off. I felt the hair on my back instinctively standing up, as a low growl issued from the eyes' owner, and a few more pairs of eyes appeared around the initial pair. For a moment, all that I was capable of doing, was staring, and silently asking myself what I had done to deserve such a misfortune. That was about two seconds before I decided upon what my best plan of action would be.... I whispered a couple of words to Yuki, and within moments, I was tearing down the streets as fast as my short legs would carry me. That was pretty fast, considering that I was a cat. I guess that I didn't count on the other cats following me...  
  
It's strange. I can't remember any cats disliking me previous to that time. And never has one disliked me since. I guess that it might be because I don't usually carry mice around on my back. That had to be it. In fact, that's probaby why I ran in the first place. Usually the other cats showered me with affection.... In fact, they still do, when I happen to see them.  
  
Anyway, back to the story before I get too off track. We were tearing down the street, the other cats close behind. As embarrassing as it is to say that I was running away, that's exactly what I was doing. Though now that I look back, I think that it may have been better had I stayed and fought may way through... Better for who, I'm not sure. But what happened next, leads me to believe that it would have been.  
  
I had been running for quite a while, and my legs were starting to hurt. I figured that I had finally lost the other cats, because I couldn't hear or sense them behind me anymore. Finally, I managed to slow myself down, and I leapt up onto a low bench off to the side of the sidewalk, almost completely forgetting that I still had Yuki on my back until he issued a small sound of surprise.  
  
"What!?" I snapped back at him, between panting breaths, making it a point to sit down rather roughly.  
  
"Excuse me for wanting to stay alive. You jumped and I wasn't ready for it." He said, his voice as soft as usual, though I could hear the icy undertone that he reserved especially for me. I turned my head to look at him, only to see him waving two tiny handfuls of my hair back at me. Funny. I hadn't felt him pull out any of my hair. Maybe it had been the adrenaline...  
  
"God damn it, k'so nezumi! Can't you be a little bit more careful!?"  
  
"Can't you be a bit quieter? What if someone hears you, baka neko?" He spat back at me, once more narrowing his beady little eyes.  
  
I looked around to make sure that noone was near. Of course they weren't. Who in their right mind would be out walking at what must have been after midnight? Instinctively I ducked, as a solitary car made its way past us, even though its lights never once reached our position. Who would have cared anyway? It wasn't as if a cat and a mouse had a curfew. Beyond worn out, and completely drained of any bit of tolerance that I might have once had, I turned back to Yuki, only to see him shaking my pulled out hair back onto me. For some reason, beyond my comprehension now, that did it.  
  
"What in the hell do you think. You're. Doing?" I ground out through clenched teeth, my body tensing with rage.  
  
"Baka neko. It isn't as if I'm getting hair all over your clothes."  
  
'No, just hoping to give you a massive hairball.' Was the hidden message in that statement. I felt a growl starting low in my throat, and before I could control it, it had escaped. "Damn you. This is IT! I've taken you far GODDAMNED enough!" I stood up, shaking my body until I felt the almost non existent weight of Yuki dissappear. I turned around, guessing that he must have landed behind me, as I couldn't see him on either side of myself. Spotting him, exactly where I guessed he had landed, I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind. "WHO do you think you are!? No! WHAT do you think you are!? Some kind of prince!? Oh wait! Of course you do! You think that just because you're popular, just because all the girls like you, just because you have the best grades, that you can walk all over everyone!? Well I have news for you, you stupid little piece of crap! I-" I bit off my words, realizing that I wasn't getting a response out of him.  
  
Upon further inspection, I noticed that not only was he being quieter than usual, but he was shaking, his tiny form curled into a ball. "What's wrong, k'so nezumi!? Can't handle the truth!?" I snapped as an afterthought, trying to get him to do something other than just sit there shaking. When he didn't say anything for a few moments, I decided that something really must have been wrong. Sticking one of my paws out, I gently nudged him.  
  
"D-don't..." Was the shaky response that I received. Now I may have been a cold hearted bastard when it came to Yuki, but I wasn't so cold that I wasn't worried about him when he didn't fight back.  
  
"What?" Hey, what can I say? I was trying to ask him if he was alright. I wasn't that good with words... It must have been enough though, because slowly, with a soft moan of what sounded like pain, yuki moved a bit to show me what excatly was wrong with him.  
  
"I...I think that you just...broke my leg, baka neko..." He said. That was when I realized that his voice wasn't shaky because he was scared. It was because he was crying.  
  
"I couldn't have." I hissed, moving so that I had a better view of the injured limb. How could I possibly have hurt him by shaking him off when we threw each other around every single day and he never came out with more than a mere scratch or two? But then, I didn't usually throw him around while he was in that form... Come to think of it, usually he was the one doing all of the throwing around...  
  
"I...I think you did..." He said, his voice strained and barely above a whisper. Moving a bit closer, so that I could see through the dim light, I noticed that indeed, something about him did seem off... Maybe it was the way that one of his hind legs was bent at a completely odd angle. "I...I got caught when you shook me off...Caught on your hair..." Maybe it was my hair's way of getting revenge. Who knows, but suddenly, I felt horrible. Far be it from me to say why I felt horrible for finally having beaten Yuki. Maybe it was because I knew that it wasn't fair. That had to be it.  
  
"I..." Suddenly, I found that I didn't know what to say.  
  
"Don't talk!" He yelled, curling back up. "Just get someone or something!" I realized that he was crying again, and trying to hide it by not looking at me.  
  
I'd like to know who he thought it was that I was supposed to get, yet even now, I think that he was just in some sort of shock and speaking nonsense.  
  
I stood up, fully prepared to go get someone, until I remembered what we'd had to do to get to where we were at that point. "Yuki..." The name felt strange rolling off of my tongue in the tone of voice that I was using. "I can't leave you here, because the cats that we ran from might follow our scent. And I don't know who I would get anyway. Hatori? Do you know how far away that is? And I can't exactly use a phone like this!" I stopped talking, realizing that I was losing my temper again. "You're going to have to go." I said after a few more seconds of staring at him. How I was going to carry him was definitely going to be a problem though. I couldn't exactly see him hanging onto me after what had happened...  
  
Not that he would have felt any pain though. As when I came out of my thoughts, I noticed that he had passed out. I almost panicked, thinking that I had killed him before I noted the tiny rise and fall of his chest. Who knew that "prince" Yuki would have such a low tolerance for pain? For some reason, the knowledge didn't make me feel any better as I scooped him gently up into my mouth, fighting the natural feline instinct to bite down. Carrying him back to Shigure's house, which is where I assumed would be the best place to go, would atleast be easier that way.  
  
Or, should I say, it would have been, had I been a little bit more alert. Because, had I been a bit more alert or my cat senses more in touch with my surroundings, I would have noticed the figure walking slowly up behind me. I would have noticed the net, before it fell down around me, trapping Yuki and I within it's inescapable mesh.  
  
************* TBC.... 


	4. Chapter 3

Authors Notes: So you've stuck around to read chapter three have you? The real chapter three I mean...not the last chapter, which I said was chapter three when it was really chapter two... That's what happens when you update things at two A.M. Oh well. Anyway, as always, I really hope that you like it! Thankyou sooooo much to all of my very lovely reviewers so far! Also, reviews and constructive criticism are always loved Enjoy!!  
  
Warnings: Wheee, a little bit more shounen-ai-ishness....a whole lot more Kyo-mouth, and maybe even a little bit of violence!!!  
  
Chapter Rating: PG-PG-13  
  
************ BR 7 Days BR By: Genki Ichigo BR Chapter 3 BR ************ BR I  
Had I been a bit more alert or my cat senses more in touch with my surroundings, I would have noticed the figure walking slowly up behind me. I would have noticed the net, before it fell down around me, trapping Yuki and I within it's inescapable mesh. /I BR ************  
  
"Hey, kitty kitty, what are you doing out here without an owner, hm?"  
  
The soft voice of a woman washed over me as I felt myself being lifted suddenly into the air, my body pressed uncomfortably against the fibers of the net. I thought about struggling, but realized that it would have been useless, especially since I still had the unconscious Yuki in my mouth. All I could do, was take it as I was thrust into the back of a truck and dumped unceremoniously into a cage.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll take you someplace safe." The woman said again. I turned to face her, finally able to get a good look at her. She was short. Possibly even shorter than Tohru, though about the same build. Her short brown hair was barely visible below the line of her ball cap, the ends of it partially covering deep brown eyes. Her lipstick pink lips curled upward into a semi-reassuring smile as she shut the cage door, shortly followed by the door to the back of the truck. 'Kimiko', that had been the name on her tag... I wondered for a moment, why someone like that was working in a profession such as Animal Control. She didn't exactly look like the type.  
  
I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that I had been caught. No, that we had been caught. I still had Yuki to worry about. Luckily, the woman hadn't noticed him, as I had once more forgotten about him and I hadn't made an effort to hide him. Surveying my surroundings, I spotted a small blanket in the far corner of the cage. Not that it was hard to spot, as the cage was pretty small itself. Only a few inches taller and longer than I was.  
  
I stepped onto the blanket, using my paw to pull back a couple of the layers and shape them into a little mouse-sized bed. That done, I bent down, setting Yuki into the middle of it. I stepped back, watching him until I was sure that he was breathing. He was.  
  
I jumped, when the truck unexpectedly roared to life and started to move. After the few moments that it took to calm myself down, I looked back down at Yuki. He was shaking again, only this time, I realized that it must be due to cold, as he was damp from having been in my mouth. Far be it from me to say why I cared if he was cold or not, but the fact is, that I did. Unconsciously, I found that I had moved a bit closer to him. I sat down, still watching him. I was afraid that if I took my eyes off of him for even a moment, he might stop breathing. I know that it might sound silly, especially because I've never heard of anyone dying because of a broken leg, but that was how I felt.  
  
Seeing that he was still shivering, and not wanting him to get sick on top of everything else, I managed to swallow my pride, and curled up around him, making sure that I was close enough to keep him warm, but not so close that I would crush him. He probably would have killed me, or tried to had he been conscious, but it wasn't as if he were. He wouldn't remember it later.  
  
After what seemed like forever, the truck came to a stop, and the engine cut off. I heard footsteps outside, and I quickly picked Yuki up again, just as the door opened. 'Kimiko' appeared again, backlit by the harsh yellow glow of a street light. I saw her reaching for the latch on our cage, and knew that this would be my last chance for escape. I wasn't counting on the fact that she was going to use the net again, so as the cage opened and I tried to bolt out, I found myself slammed to a stop by the back of the net.  
  
Wonderful, just damn wonderful.  
  
I wanted to scream at her, to tell her to let us go, but I knew that I couldn't. Not only was my mouth full, but had I spoken, it wouldn't have done me much good. It only would have given away what I was. So once again, silently, I let the blasted woman carry me through a door and plop me into a cage. As if I wouldn't have to spend enough of my life in a cage...  
  
Luckily, however, once again, 'Kimiko' had missed the fact that I was holding Yuki in my mouth as she turned and flipped off the lights, closing and locking the door behind herself as she left. I wondered for a moment whether she was blind, or if she was just incredibly stupid, as Yuki wasn't the smallest mouse in the world. Those thoughts aside, I was incredibly grateful that she hadn't spotted Yuki. I can't help but wonder though, what she would have done had she spotted him. She probably would have assumed that he was dead and thrown him in a trash can or something...  
  
Turning to look at the cage that I was currently in, I noticed that it was a little larger than the one in the truck. Atleast by a few inches. In one corner there was a bowl of water, with a small bowl of cat food next to it. Not that I would be making use of the food if I had anything to say about it. Across the cage, I saw that there was a small litterbox. Also something that I hoped I wouldn't have to make use of, but that was beside the point. In the back of the cage, there was a blanket, also a bit larger than the one that had been in the truck. Upon seeing it, I immediately went about making a place for Yuki, not unlike the one that I had made before. After safely depositing him onto the blanket, I looked him over to make sure that he was still alright. Aside from the broken leg and the shivering that had returned full force, he looked fine.  
  
I wondered as I curled myself around him again, if he was going to come back to consciousness anytime soon. As far as I could tell, he had been out for about half an hour. I moved back a bit, watching him as he lay there, unconscious and pathetic looking. I leaned forward, my cat's instincts telling me to look at him a bit closer. I don't know how or why, but after a moment of closely watching him, I started to wash him. As soon as the full reality of what I had started to do hit me however, I stopped, jerking backward. Wondering just what in the hell I'd been thinking, I looked at him again. Come to think of it, after that, he did look a little bit better. Forget that though. I had just licked Yuki, my worst enemy!  
  
Feeling utterly disgusted with myself and more than a little put out, I stood up, padding over to the water bowl and dipping my head down for a drink. The water felt wonderful. I hadn't realized that I'd gotten so thirsty until the first bit of the cool liquid touched my tongue. I found that it also washed away the taste of mouse that up until that point, had been a constant annoyance. I know that it may sound strange, hearing a cat say that the taste of mouse was annoying, but I, myself, had never developed a taste for mice. Of course I had tried, once anyway, but it just felt wrong. Besides, underneath, I'm still human. Why don't you try going out and killing a mouse with your bare hands and teeth. Then you can tell me that I'm weird for not enjoying it.  
  
I was pulled from my thoughts by a soft moan from behind me. I turned around quickly, fully expecting to see Yuki still unconscious. I was imensely relieved though, when I saw that he had opened his eyes, and was looking around with something akin to confusion. It made me wonder why I hadn't taken my attention off of him sooner, if that was all it would have taken for him to wake up.  
  
"B-" He had opened his mouth to speak, but everything beyond the first syllable had been too scratchy to make out. I realized that he must be thirsty as well, so I turned back to the water bowl, using one of my paws to move it to the back of the cage. After much glaring from Yuki, I managed to help him into a position so that he could drink. After a few moments, it appeared that he'd had enough, and I helped him back down, trying to be as careful as possible with his leg.  
  
"B-baka neko...where are we? What happened?" He winced when I accidentally bumped his leg, letting out a small squeak of pain.  
  
"We..." I tried to keep my temper under control despite the fact that he'd just called me by my most hated nickname. I, atleast, think that I did a pretty good job of it. "We got caught. We're in the pound." I closed my eyes, breathing deeply, fighting my anger with everything that I had.  
  
"And...why am I so...wet? I smell like..." I opened my eyes just in time to see him narrowing his eyes at me. "I smell like you..."  
  
I'm sure that had I been able to, at that moment I would have been as red as a beet. Lucky for me, cats can't blush.  
  
"K'so nezumi! How in the hell do you think I got you here!? You think you held on while you were passed out? No! I carried your ass. Show a little bit of gratitude why don't you!? And what's so wrong about the way that I smell!?" I gritted my teeth, trying unsuccessfully to quell the hissing that accompanied the end of my sentence. I expected him to get mad at me, to yell. I was extremely surprised by his reaction.  
  
"I see." He said softly, his voice once again back to being barely above a whisper.  
  
"You see!? That's all!?" I'm sure that by that point, my fur was standing on end. However, that all went away when I realized that he was shivering again.  
  
"I..." He shook his head, looking down at the blankets around himself.  
  
I sighed, shaking a bit to smooth my fur as I pushed the bowl of water back to the front of the cage and returned to the blanket, sitting down about as far away from Yuki as I could manage. Unfortunately, it was still fairly close. "You're what?" I nearly snapped.  
  
"Nothing. It's nothing." He replied, his normal, stoic demeanor still in place.  
  
If there's one thing that will drive a cat insane, it's curiosity. So despite the fact that I probably wouldn't really care what he had to say, my curiosity was got the best of me. "No, tell me. What?" I asked, this time keeping my voice a bit lower. If there was one thing that I knew about Yuki, it was that he hated it when I yelled or got loud. He hated it when anyone did really. So by keeping my voice at a somewhat normal level, I figured that I was more likely to get a response from him.  
  
"I..." He shook his head again, tugging one corner of the blanket around himself. "I'm cold..."  
  
Without even thinking about it, I reached out, using one of my paws to help him with the blankets. So I was helping him. So what. I figured that after what I had done to him, he deserved atleast that much from me. Even if he had pulled out my hair...  
  
I couldn't let him get sick anyway. We still had a few days before we were due to change back, and we had to find a way out of here before then. I suddenly found myself picturing the headlines if we didn't... 'Two naked boys found caged in local animal shelter' or something. There would no doubt be an enormous photo next to it... That was, if I lived long enough to change back. I've heard, that in places like these, if an animal hasn't been claimed or adopted within a certain amount of days, then they'll be put to sleep. Although I was sure that the time limit was over four days, I couldn't be sure. The only thing that I was sure of, was that if we didn't get out, we'd both have a lot more to worry about than just the press and a broken leg....  
  
Breaking free of my thoughts, I looked back down at Yuki. Apparently the covers had helped him to warm up, as he was no longer shaking, and appeared to have drifted into some semblance of sleep. I hoped that he wouldn't hate me too much in the morning. Well, no more than usual anyway, as broken limbs tended to hurt worse the second day, after the shock wore off... I knew, courtesy of a broken arm that I had recieved as a child while I was training. If I'd thought that I was dying on the day that it happened, I was sure that I'd gone straight to hell when I woke up the morning after...  
  
Sighing, I lay down, curling up and resting my head on my paws, which were folded in front of me. Thankfully, there was a clock on the wall opposite our cage. It was a little after four thirty in the morning, and the sun would be coming up soon. It wasn't as if I would have gotten any sleep anyway. The fact wasn't helped by the sudden cries that I heard from below us. I realized that we must be in only one of many cages, all holding other cats who had been captured. I wondered how many of them were thinking about the same thing that I was. Escape, freedom, something outside of these metal bars and concrete walls. How likely was it that I would actually escape?  
  
Yuki was still asleep, the fact that he was still near me manifested by the way that the blankets were shaking slightly, letting me know that he was shivering again. I guess even the blankets couldn't help the damn mouse from feeling cold. I moved closer to him again, this time trying to be as careful as possible not to wake him as I curled up around him. Satisfied that I hadn't woken him with my movement, I lay my head back down, trying to resume thinking as I noticed his trembling muscles stilling themselves with the addition of my bodyheat.  
  
I let out a long sigh, the spirit of the cat trying to force me into sleeping, the human in me fighting the instinct for all that it was worth. I settled for merely resting, a happy medium between the two. My mind continued to work, a plan beginning to form itself in my head. We would get out of that place. We had to. There was no choice...  
  
TBC *********  
  
More action in chapter four! No, really...I swear... 


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: I know I know. About time I updated, ne? I've been so busy! I haven't had time  
  
for this story for a while! Anyway, despite all of the things riding against it, I really hope that you  
  
enjoy this chapter! As always, your reviews are treasured! More to come, though I hope it comes  
  
sooner than this did!  
  
Warnings: None really....not really too much of a gross factor....XD Some craziness....  
  
Chapter Rating: PG-PG-13  
  
**********  
  
7 Days  
  
Chapter Four  
  
By: Genki Ichigo  
  
*********  
  
Have you ever noticed how it's the little things that can drive you insane? You know  
  
what I'm talking about. Like if you wreck your car, and the insurance company send it to a body  
  
shop to be repaired. Only, the body shop forgets the tiniest little detail....  
  
That little detail, can just eat away at you as the days go by, and you have to see it. It can  
  
get so bad that it's all you see. Until your once beloved car becomes something completely  
  
different. Something that you hate, because it has the tiniest little defect...  
  
Okay, so maybe that's not the best example. But that's about how I felt when I woke up  
  
the next morning. I hadn't even been aware that I'd fallen asleep. In fact, as I recall, I'd been  
  
trying not to. I guess I must have needed it or something.  
  
But on with what I was saying about the tiniest detail driving me crazy. Where it could  
  
have been the fact that I was awakened by a loud, screechy, female voice, talking about neutering  
  
me, or the fact that I was still stuck in a tiny, uncomfortable cage with my worst enemy lying,  
  
curled up against my belly, it wasn't. Don't get me wrong. The word 'neuter' was enough to put  
  
me instantly on edge. But what really got me, was the incessant ticking of the gaudy wall clock  
  
just across the room.  
  
And you know the funny thing about that? It hadn't bothered me until then. I hadn't even  
  
noticed it until I opened my eyes and came to my senses. It was as if the accursed object were  
  
mocking me. As if it were laughing at me as it counted down the seconds that I had left in which  
  
to live. Or at least keep my manhood intact. Where the damn clock had been one of the only  
  
things keeping me sane through the early morning hours, it was now slowly driving me in the  
  
direction of madness.   
  
Trying my hardest to ignore the clock, I slowly uncurled myself from around Yuki and  
  
stood up, my cat instincts causing me to stretch almost before I was all the way up. I turned,  
  
intent on looking Yuki's injuries over, only to find that he had awakened in the time that it had  
  
taken me to stand up. A low groan reached my ears as his tiny eyes closed and his small form  
  
folded over in pain, his tiny mouse hands going to clutch at his injured leg.  
  
If I hadn't felt guilty before, I most definitely did at that moment in time. Once again, a  
  
single, solitary thought ran through my mind.   
  
We had to get out of there.  
  
The only problem, was how we were supposed to go about it. I remembered something  
  
then. The fact that I had been thinking about just that when I had fallen asleep. There was just  
  
one small problem.   
  
I'd forgotten what I'd planned.  
  
Don't you just hate when you start to think about something just before you fall asleep? I  
  
know that I do. I hate the feeling of waking up, and knowing that I've thought about something  
  
completely perfect, only, I can't remember what it is.   
  
Anyway, before I get too sidetracked, let me get on with the story. I'll spare you the  
  
boring details of the rest of the day, which included an awkward moment in which I was forced  
  
to use the litter box... I don't think I'll ever live that little incident down. In fact, I still hear about  
  
it quite frequently...  
  
The next time that I looked at the clock, it was about 3:30 in the afternoon...and I had a  
  
splitting headache. Do you have any idea how much damn traffic an animal shelter gets in a day?  
  
And most of it consists of small children, eager to get a pet, and their over enthusiastic, baby-  
  
talking parents...  
  
It was because of the high volume of people that I was surprised that Yuki and I hadn't  
  
had a chance at escaping yet. In fact, noone had looked even remotely interested in opening our  
  
cage... Naturally, I took a bit of offense to that. It wasn't as if I were an ugly cat...in fact, I found  
  
myself to be very attractive in my feline form. If only the stupid people would have looked at me.  
  
I'd been trying hard to look cute and friendly and all of that crap too. You'd have thought the  
  
people were blind or something.  
  
Atleast that was what I thought, until finally, one of the blasted sugar-high-over-happy  
  
children rushed over to my cage. Her (Or at least I think it was a her) pudgy fingers stretched out  
  
toward the latch and my eyes widened. Apparently noticing my surprised expression, the  
  
little....kid...hesitated. Hating myself more than ever in that moment, I stood up, making the  
  
cutest little meow that I could manage. Obviously it worked as the kid stepped closer to the cage,  
  
it's fingers grasping the latch. I looked quickly around for any sign of parents, and caught sight  
  
of a woman, her back turned as she spoke to another person, who I couldn't see from my  
  
position. I turned, quickly, and without warning scooping Yuki into my mouth, extremely  
  
surprised when he didn't make any noise.   
  
I turned around slowly, with my head lowered, so as not to gross the kid out. Hell, maybe  
  
the kid wouldn't have been grossed out by the fact that I had an apparently dead mouse in my  
  
mouth, but whatever. You can never tell what will gross little kids out these days. Just ask  
  
Kisa...I remember this one time when...never mind that though. It's not really relevant to this  
  
tale, and it's more than a little bit embarrassing for me to talk about.... Besides, it would only  
  
bring me back to the fact that I find myself to be attractive. And I don't want to sound conceited.   
  
Back to the story again though. I don't know what's going on with all of these stupid side  
  
thoughts. My mind likes to wander. What can I say? If you don't like it, you don't have to listen.  
  
It's as simple as that.  
  
My heart was pounding by the time I finally turned around to face the front of the cage. It  
  
felt as if I were trapped in some sort of bad. Slow motion scene. I watched hopefully (Still giving   
  
the cute eyes by the way) as the kid popped the latch open and prepared to open the cage...right  
  
as it's mother turned to look at us.   
  
It wasn't long before the woman was in front of the cage, scooping the kid up.  
  
"No no honey...leave the poor kitty alone. We already have a kitty, remember?" The  
  
woman motioned with her free hand toward the counter, where the biggest, and perhaps ugliest  
  
black and white cat I had and have ever seen was being placed into a carrier. Stupid woman...  
  
Of course, it took a moment as I froze like a deer suddenly flooded by the lights of an  
  
oncoming car before I realized that the cage was still unlatched...and that the woman was  
  
bending down to re latch it.  
  
Cue the slow-mo again.  
  
At least that's how it felt as I rushed forward suddenly, barreling into the cage door. It  
  
flew open, smacking the lady in the hand, which caused her to bark out a satisfying 'ow'.   
  
We were out..we were free...and I was biting Yuki a bit harder than necessary, which was  
  
causing him to mutter quiet threats beneath his breath. But it didn't matter! We were out! I only  
  
had to find the exit to the blasted place, and we'd be home free. We could go back to Shigure's  
  
house, Yuki could get his leg fixed, I could well...I could be home, and everything could go back  
  
to normal.  
  
If only things were really that simple.  
  
Don't get me wrong. Getting out of the animal shelter was easy .I don't even think that  
  
anyone noticed that we'd gotten out. At least until it was too late. It was after we got out that  
  
was the problem. I figured that out after about a good hundred feet or so of running as if the  
  
hounds of hell were on my heels.  
  
I had no idea where we were.  
  
I slowed my pace to a walk, my energy reserves already running low, and my mouse filled  
  
mouth making it hard for me to breathe correctly. I managed to get us under the cover of some  
  
thick, decorative bushes before I set Yuki down, watching as he shook himself off as well as he  
  
could.  
  
"Did you have to be so rough?" Yuki huffed indignantly favoring his injured leg.  
  
"I had to get us out of there, baka nezumi! Why? Did you want to stay?" I smirked  
  
defiantly in his direction, daring the little bastard to say something. Of course, Yuki always had  
  
something to say.   
  
"Of course I wanted to get out of there you idiot. I didn't however, want to be covered in  
  
your spit, or killed by your teeth. You are a cat now, remember. Cats have sharp teeth." He spoke  
  
as if I had no idea what cats had and didn't have. It made me want to smack him.  
  
Cue the guilt.  
  
Yes, I felt guilty for feeling that way. Maybe not as guilty as I should have, but still, the  
  
guilt was there. That was about the only thing that kept me from killing that stupid mouse right  
  
then and there.   
  
The next few minutes were spent in silence as I tried to figure out what we were going to  
  
do. I figured that Yuki must have been doing the same. That was, until he hobbled forward a  
  
step, an utterly lost look in his eyes.  
  
"Do you...know where we are?" He asked in the softest voice possible.  
  
All that I could do was shake my head in defeat.  
  
"I have no idea." I don't know what made me admit that. Maybe it was the way that Yuki  
  
was being so open in admitting that he didn't know something, or that he looked so lost, so  
  
scared...so...small.... Like I said, I don't know. All I know, is that if I'd been looking for a cheap  
  
laugh, I could have used that moment of weakness to get one. But I wasn't. "And we can't  
  
exactly ask, can we...?" I almost laughed at the thought of Yuki or I walking up to someone on  
  
the state that we were in and asking them for directions.  
  
"So....what are we going to do?" Yuki asked, his voice betraying his...fear?  
  
"I don't know...try to find our way." Something clicked in my mind. "Animals ahve  
  
instincts, right? And we're animals. And we have friends...friends who are also animals. They  
  
can help us."  
  
Yuki shuddered. "Don't call any cats..." I smiled inwardly. That was the third time Yuki  
  
had admitted his weakness in the course of a few minutes. He was afraid. Afraid that the cats  
  
would hurt him.  
  
"Fine. Call the mice. But not until we're out of the city. I don't think that people would  
  
like the sight of a couple hundred mice and a cat wandering through the streets."  
  
Yuki nodded, wrenching a soft snort of laughter from me. As I mentioned before, animals  
  
weren't made to nod. "Then let's get out of here. The sooner we get home...the better..." Yuki  
  
looked down at his leg, which I now noticed was swollen significantly, a soft purple color  
  
showing even through his fur. He hadn't said how his leg had felt at all that day. I guess it  
  
wouldn't have done him much good anyway. But it would have been nice. Or maybe I just  
  
wanted him to tell me once more, that he was as weak as I was...  
  
"Are you ready?" He made a soft, affirmative noise, grimacing in pain as I picked him up  
  
again, though much gentler this time.  
  
It was time to find our way home.  
  
I was so intent on this idea, that I didn't even notice the thick storm clouds, pregnant with  
  
rain as they gathered overhead...  
  
*********  
  
TBC... 


	6. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: Yayyy, so this chapter came out a bit faster than the last one did. Maybe that  
  
means that I'll actually be able to write now instead of getting writer's block after every sentence  
  
lol. Anyway, thank you to all of my reviewers so far, and as always, if you can find the time, I  
  
totally love to hear what you have to say!  
  
Warnings: The beginnings of shounen-ai...awwww...well, maybe not 'awwww' exactly...but the  
  
beginnings of the shounen-ai will be in this chapter...Not too much Shounen-ai though...because  
  
at this point...that would just be...wrong...  
  
Chapter Rating: PG-PG-13  
  
**********  
  
7 Days  
  
Chapter Four  
  
By: Genki Ichigo  
  
*********  
  
By the time that Yuki and I reached the edge of the small, or it looked to be small at the  
  
time, wooded area, small drops of rain had begun to fall. The small drops quickly turned in to  
  
larger ones, and before I knew it, I was soaked to the skin, may hair soaked and matted to my  
  
body. I stopped, trying to shake off as much of the excess water as I could, however, it seemed  
  
that as soon as I got myself fairly dry, I was instantly soaked again.  
  
It also didn't help that I was beginning to feel weak. The rain had always had that effect  
  
on me. For some reason it made the demon inside of me stronger, woke it up, made it want to  
  
take over. It still does that. I think that it always will. It doesn't matter whether I'm inside or  
  
outside, wet or dry, the rain always has the same effect on me...on it. I believe that the exhaustion  
  
that accompanies the rain, is a mere side effect of my body and consciousness, fighting for all  
  
that it's worth to contain the demon inside of myself.   
  
So totally exhausted, more than a little soaked, and still carrying Yuki around, I continued  
  
thorough the wooded area, which by that time, I had figured out was really a forest, and a rather  
  
large one by the look of it. The only good thing about the situation, was that the thick layer of  
  
branches and foliage overhead were filtering out a good deal of the rain. As long as it didn't start  
  
to rain any harder, we would be alright for the time being.  
  
And we were alright...for the time being. It wasn't until about ten minutes later that the  
  
rain nearly doubled in intensity, beginning to come down in freezing sheets. Since when had it  
  
gotten so cold? Even the foliage wasn't helping much now. Instead, it was causing the rain to  
  
gather on it and drip down in even larger drops than normal.   
  
"C-can we stop..." I stopped running at the sound of Yuki's voice. I couldn't answer him,  
  
due to the fact that...well...he was blocking my mouth. All that I could do was listen. I could tell  
  
that he was shivering. I didn't blame him either. I was almost to that point myself. "Please...let's  
  
just find somewhere dry and stop there for now." What he thought I was trying to do, I had no  
  
idea, but it nearly infuriated me that he thought that I was so ignorant that I wasn't doing that  
  
exact thing already. Nearly. The pleading tone in his voice, made it impossible for me to be  
  
angry... Instead, what normally would have been full blown anger, remained but a mild  
  
annoyance...  
  
It was at that moment, that I noticed how much the last few days had already changed  
  
me... I didn't know whether it was in a good or a bad way, but, nevertheless, I had changed. I  
  
didn't even know why I had changed. Was it because of Yuki? Maybe. But probably not, I told  
  
myself. There was no way that I'd let him change me. Ever. I banished the thoughts from my  
  
mind, forcing myself back onto a safer train of thought.  
  
Spotting what looked to be a fairly old tree, I walked over to it. Surely something that old  
  
would have some sort of an imperfection in it. Some sort of hole... I tilted my head upward,  
  
looking up into the branches. I winced, as a particularly large drop of rain splashed onto my nose.  
  
I decided to try again, this time being a bit more careful, I looked up. Bingo. About twenty feet  
  
up, there appeared to be an opening in the thick bark of the tree.  
  
I could tell instantly when I jumped up onto the tree, that I had startled Yuki I felt him  
  
tense in my mouth... I couldn't help but wonder if he were afraid of heights...   
  
I tried to move him as little as possible as I climbed the tree, a sense of relief washing  
  
over me as I came to the branch just below the opening. I climbed onto it, my legs aching from  
  
the strenuous climb. I looked into the opening, wondering if it were safe to go into. My cat vision  
  
told me through the growing darkness, that it was, and that the fairly large 'cave' in the side of  
  
the tree was unoccupied, and had been for quite some time.   
  
Wasting no time, I climbed through the opening, nearly collapsing to the floor as soon as  
  
my entire body was inside. I Set Yuki down, opening and closing my mouth a few times. It had  
  
gotten quite sore from being forced to stay open for so long. Speaking of my mouth, and things  
  
related to it, suddenly, my stomach decided to speak up, reminding me that it had been a while  
  
since I'd eaten last.   
  
There was one problem with that.  
  
There was nothing to eat.  
  
I shook my head as my instincts began to take over, telling me that there was a perfectly  
  
good meal less than a foot away. What the hell was I thinking? It was a momentary thought  
  
however. I hated mice anyway, remember?   
  
"What are you staring at?"   
  
I was snapped out of my thoughts by the soft question from Yuki. Had I really been  
  
staring? I guessed that I had, because my eyes were still on Yuki, who had sat down in front of  
  
me.  
  
"Nothing....I was thinking about going out to try to find something to eat...." I was  
  
surprised by the small laugh that came out of the injured mouse.   
  
"You were thinking about eating me, weren't you? You were honestly thinking about  
  
killing me and eating me... You know, you wouldn't go to jail for that, since we're in these  
  
forms... Why don't you do it? It would be a whole lot better than this..."  
  
I could feel my eyes narrowing. What was up with him? I couldn't figure out why it was  
  
that he would talk like that. That was until I heard the slight raspy sound that was mixed with the  
  
sounds of his breathing. I stood up, walking a bit closer to him. I raised one paw, placing it fairly  
  
close to Yuki's face. I could feel the abnormally high heat radiating from him.   
  
Just what I needed. Yuki had a fever. I wasn't surprised however. He had been through a  
  
lot in the past couple of days, and I was sure that running through the rain for a few hours hadn't  
  
helped him any in the health department.   
  
"You have a fever....you don't know what you're saying." I was surprised for the  
  
umpteenth time that day, by the soft quality of my voice. I think that may have been the first time  
  
that I'd ever used that particular tone of voice around Yuki.  
  
"Whatever you say...." Yuki sighed, a loud rasping accompanying the sound. I almost  
  
winced at the sound. I had to do something, and fast, or he was going to get worse. Much worse.  
  
"You need to lay down." I commanded, surprised that my voice was as steady as it was  
  
for the amount of shaking that I was doing. I was scared. Not just scared. I was terrified for him.   
  
Needless to say, I was extremely surprised when Yuki did just that, curling up into a tight  
  
little ball, his tiny form shaking with chills despite his obviously high temperature. I reached out,  
  
gently nudging him out of the tight ball with one of my paws. If I was going to do what I was  
  
planning next..again...I would need as much access to him as possible.  
  
"What are you doing?" He asked, his voice barely there, his words hard to understand  
  
through the chattering of his teeth.  
  
"I need to...I need to dry you off." I sighed. "I'm going to, no matter what you say, so  
  
before you start fighting me, think about it. Even if you fight me until you die, I'll still do it." I  
  
didn't think that I actually would have licked Yuki dry if he had died...that would have just been  
  
pointless...and more than a little bit gross. But Yuki didn't need to know that. In fact, I think the  
  
thought of me licking his dead little mouse body disturbed him as well, as shortly after I stopped  
  
talking, he nodded, and stretched out, wincing as he moved his broken leg.  
  
I leaned forward, slowly going about cleaning and drying Yuki. He winced in a couple of  
  
places, which was followed quickly by an apology from me. Really, at that point, I couldn't  
  
believe that I had actually been apologizing to Yuki, however, I can't see why I wouldn't have  
  
been, as all of his pain and suffering had been my fault.  
  
All of those thoughts and more ran through my head as I finished drying him. I expected  
  
him to say something when I finished, and I was surprised yet again, when he didn't. That was,  
  
until I looked closer, and realized that he'd fallen asleep. I couldn't help but smile at that. Even  
  
through all of my worry. It was at that moment, that I first started to think of Yuki as cute. Don't  
  
get me wrong. I wasn't about to show it. But inwardly, I knew that after that point, I would never  
  
think of him as anything else.  
  
I sighed, resigning myself to spending the night lost once again as I curled up around  
  
Yuki's trembling form, intent on keeping him safe through the night. I owed it to him after all... I  
  
only hoped, that his fever wouldn't worsen...  
  
TBC...  
  
AN: This chapter seemed to drag a little bit to me. Does it seem okay to you? Don't worry!  
  
Things should be picking up again soon!!! Thanks for reading!!! 


	7. Chapter 6

Authors Notes: Wow....it's been a long time n.n;; Over a year I think XD I hope you guys will forgive me. My life has just been a bit crazy! But anyway, yay! I've decided to start updating again! This chapter is pretty short, and I'm a little bit rusty with my writing skills after not using them for so long, but I guess it's okay. The next chapters should be better. I hope you enjoy it! As always, your comments are more than welcome!  
  
Chapter Rating: PG-13  
  
Warnings:  
  
7 Days  
  
By: Genki Ichigo  
  
Chapter: 6  
  
I opened my eyes the next morning, only to almost instantly close them again when they were flooded with an intense white light. At first, I'd thought maybe someone had been merciful, and that I'd died in my sleep. Maybe I was in heaven (Tch, yeah right.). I know I sure felt like dying when I'd finally drifted off the night before. But then, my aching muscles reassured me that no, I wasn't dead. The storm had just cleared up in the night, leaving everything clear, yet still dripping with the remnants of the storm.  
  
And it was still freezing.  
  
I tried to open my eyes again, shivering softly against the cold, my fur fluffing up a bit to warm me a few degrees. I guess you could call that another good aspect of being a cat. You always have a fur coat when you need one.  
  
Anyway, on the second try, I managed to get my eyes open. The first thing I did, was glance at my belly, where Yuki lay, still curled up, and apparently sound asleep. Either that, or he'd just fainted from his fever. I think that maybe, he was the only thing that kept me from freezing to death that night, his tiny body, burning with fever against me. I hoped against hope that he was really only asleep. There was only one way to find out though.  
  
I uncurled myself a bit, unable to suppress a soft moan. The escape and the long climb had really taken a lot out of me. Maybe I wasn't in as good a shape as I thought I was. Maybe once we got back, I would start training a bit heavier. But then, I'd never really been in this type of extreme situation before. I'd never worked myself without food for so long. Especially since Tohru had been around. Her cooking was wonderful....maybe I was eating too much...maybe I was getting a little soft...  
  
Who cares.  
  
The thought of Tohru's cooking caused my stomach to rumble, while the thought of her waiting for us both back at Shigure's warmed me a bit. I really missed her. I know that Yuki probably did too, even if he couldn't really concentrate on it well enough to say so. Enough about that though, I'm getting a bit too mushy and sensitive sounding.  
  
I picked up my paw, reaching forward and gently nudging the sleeping mouse, trying to wake him. He stirred a bit, and I was rewarded with a long, low moan. Atleast I knew he wasn't passed out completely. I honestly don't know what I would have done at that point in time if that had been the case. I probably would have cracked up, and we'd probably both be dead. At that point, I think that Yuki was the only thing keeping me sane. I know that's a strange thing for me to say, but just knowing that he was there too, was a comfort. I wonder when exactly I started to feel that way. I can't really pinpoint it.  
  
I opened my mouth into a wide yawn as I uncurled from around Yuki the rest of the way. I nudged him again with my paw.  
  
"Wake up, Yuki. It's morning and the storm has cleared. We have to get going." Tiny violet eyes slowly blinked open, trying to focus on me. I could tell that he was having a hard time getting them to stop blurring everything together, by the way that he kept blinking. "It's alright." I reassured him. "You have a pretty high fever. That's why you can't focus." 'Plus, we haven't eaten in a few days.' I didn't voice the last part. I didn't want to remind Yuki of how bad off and desperate we really were. I stood up and shook off, little flakes of wood flying from my fur to settle back onto the floor.  
  
Yuki looked at me his eyes telling me that he was as ready to leave as I was, so I bent and ever so carefully scooped him into my mouth. After waiting a moment to make sure that he was comfortable, I moved to the entrance of the 'cave' and looked down. How had I gotten us so high up? I sighed inwardly and without another thought, stepped out and began to slide down the tree. By the time I reached the ground, I was out of breath, and so was Yuki, though I think that his condition was more out of fear than anything else. Hell, I probably would have been scared too, entrusting my life to someone like myself. Someone who was always bent on revenge. Specifically, revenge against me. I don't know if I could have let Yuki take care of me as I was for him, had I been the one in his shoes. I probably would have let my pride get the better of me. But then, that's just me. What can I say, I'm a cat. We're like that.  
  
I was a bit afraid to set Yuki down on the damp ground, for fear that he would become even sicker than he already was. So instead, I just held him gently in my mouth and looked around, trying to get my bearings. I don't know why, but something was telling me to go North. Atleast I thought it was North. I didn't really know what time of day it was, so I couldn't use the sun either. Looking back on that day, I realize now, that it was probably the smell of food that was luring me in the particular direction that I took. Maybe not, but in all probability, I probably just followed my rumbling stomach to the small cabin that really hadn't been too far away from where we'd ended up the night before.  
  
I guess it doesn't matter though. And it really didn't then either. Upon the sight of it, I heard a small gasp from Yuki.  
  
"Maybe.....maybe they have something....food or something..." I padded over to the small porch, discovering a rather large trash can there. I set Yuki down on the slightly sun-warmed wood, looking him over. He seemed to be alright, though a bit out of it.  
  
"I'll look....maybe there's something in here." In a way, I guess I was kind of glad that Yuki was out of it. Maybe later, he wouldn't remember me digging through a trash can for food like some alley cat. Though now, I realize that he probably wouldn't have blamed me at all. In fact, he probably would have helped me if he could have.  
  
As soon as I got the lid to fall off, I realized that there was indeed something that smelled heavenly in the trash. It smelled a bit like fish. Upon digging around a bit, I found that it was in fact, a leaftover fish head and a few bones, and a small amount of rice wrapped up in foil. I grabbed it, leaping out of the trash can and setting it down before Yuki. He stared at it for a moment, as if the food were something foreign, before he leaned in and grabbed a piece of rice, tentatively bringing it to his lips and nibbling on it. I grabbed the fish, stripping the little bit of meat that was left from the bones and eating it.  
  
I can't really remember anything to this day tasting so good as that cold fish and rice from the trash can. It was probably just because we were starving though, and I've never told that to Tohru. She'd probably start crying if I did. Besides, her cooking is still the best and she doesn't try to kill us for eating it.  
  
But back to what I was saying. About halfway through what would have been a heavenly meal, I glanced upward, to see that we were being watched through one of the cabin windows by a very big, very unfriendly looking man. I immediately dropped my fish and looked at Yuki, trying to get his attention without being too obvious.  
  
"Psst....Yuki....YUKI...." I muttered as I heard the door to the cabin open, and then slam shut, heavy footfalls starting in our direction. That was when I saw him, and he was just as big and just as mean as he had looked through the window, though the image was enhanced by the fact that he had a gun at his side. For some reason, I got the feeling that the man wasn't really a cat lover.  
  
"Fucking strays. I'm sick of them..." He muttered, raising the gun to his shoulder and taking aim...at us.  
  
Forgetting all about getting his attention, I scooped Yuki up in my mouth, turning on my heels and taking off, just in time to hear the first shot being fired off. Luckily, I managed to dodge it. I wasn't so lucky with the second one however. We were almost out of sight, almost under the cover of the heavy forest brush when he got off his second shot. I dodged, but my timing had been a bit off. I staggered a bit as a sharp pain whisked across my side.  
  
Managing a few more steps, I fell to the ground under some particularly heavy brush. Apparently, the man had thought that the second shot had been enough to do me in, because there were no more after that. I was dimly aware through my pain, that I had dropped Yuki, and that I was laying almost on top of him. He was moaning in pain, I could only imagine how excritiating being dropped on that leg must have been.  
  
"I'm so sorry." I managed, apologizing once more to Yuki. At that point, it was the least he deserved for putting up with everything. His moaning ceased after a few moments, and he managed to shakily speak.  
  
"A-are you....okay?"  
  
I didn't really know how to answer that. With great effort, I managed to lift my head enough to see that the bullet had grazed me to the point that I was bleeding heavily.  
  
"I-I don't know...." I was starting to feel a bit light headed at that point, my body feeling as if it were floating. I know that Yuki was saying something to me, but I can't really remember what it was. Everything seemed to blur together. Everything was so warm...  
  
I closed my eyes. I swear, I was only going to attempt clear my vision...but for some reason, they wouldn't open again. That was okay though. Everything felt so good...  
  
My last thought was that I would just nap a bit, right before my senses failed and I was plunged into darkness.  
  
TBC 


End file.
